The invention relates to a vehicle wheel having a rim and spokes supporting the rim on a hub section, a clearance between two mutually adjacent spokes being covered by a flat covering element. With respect to the state of the art, reference is made, for example, to German Patent document DE 10 2009 024 792 A1.
Many different demands are made on wheels of vehicles, particularly on those of passenger cars. In addition to an obviously sufficient stability while maintaining a low weight, the wheels should promote a good drag coefficient of the vehicle and stand out with a pleasant visual appearance, which also includes the fact that the visible outer area of the wheels should not be soiled to much of an extent by the abraded particles of the wheel brakes provided on the interior side of the wheels. In order to ensure the latter, it is known to cover the clearances between all spokes by use of a single disk-shaped covering element with respect to the brake disk of the wheel brake rotating together with the wheel, which covering element is provided on the interior side of the wheel. However, this measure considerably restricts the cooling of the wheel brake or of its brake disk.
There is therefore needed a vehicle wheel characterized by an improvement in its drag coefficient, while ensuring a sufficient cooling of the wheel brake, and which has a light weight construction. This and other objects are met by a vehicle wheel having a rim and spokes supporting the rim on a hub section, a clearance between two mutually adjacent spokes being covered by a flat covering element. The covering element assigned to only one such clearance is made of a fiber-reinforced synthetic material and, on an exterior side of the wheel, is glued onto the spokes which, on their mutually facing edges, have a slight step toward the interior side of the wheel, as well as onto the hub section which, in the area of the clearance on its side facing the rim, also has such a slight step. Not all clearances between two mutually adjacent spokes are covered in such a manner.
According to an advantageous further aspect, the covering element can be fastened in a comparable manner to the corresponding rim section, and the spokes can be arranged such that a clearance extending over a larger angular segment alternates with a clearance extending over a smaller angular segment, only the larger clearances being covered by covering elements.
Because not all clearances are covered, a sufficient cooling of the wheel brake can be easily provided. In addition to the effect of a reduced soiling, an improved drag coefficient can be obtained in that a portion of the clearances are on the exterior side of the wheel. As a result of the fact that the covering element is constructed of a fiber-reinforced synthetic material, this wheel is characterized by high stability while its weight is low. Simultaneously, an interesting visual appearance is obtained when the weave structure of the fiber composite material is visible on the surface of the covering element.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of one or more preferred embodiments when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.